Fintech PR
Capital Constellation makes strategic investment in Niobrara Capital

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Wafra Inc. (“Wafra”) today announced a strategic investment in Niobrara Capital (“Niobrara“), a private equity firm focused on investing in technology and technology-enabled services businesses in the U.S. and Europe. The investment is being made via Wafra’s Capital Constellation platform, which partners with promising alternative investment firms globally.
Niobrara was founded in 2024 by Chip Schorr, a pioneer in technology investing, alongside fellow tech veteran Todd Bradley and Mike Pompeo, the former U.S. Secretary of State. The firm, named after the Niobrara River in Nebraska, focuses on mid-sized, business-to-business technology companies that can drive significant economic transformation across industries. Niobrara leverages the expertise of its team, including Mr. Schorr’s more than 30 years of experience investing through multiple tech market cycles globally, to capitalize on the constantly evolving opportunities in the technology ecosystem.
Niobrara announced its debut investment in May 2024 with a majority equity stake in Polar Semiconductor, a Minnesota-based semiconductor manufacturer, that later became the first award recipient under the United States’ CHIPS Incentives Program’s Funding Opportunity for Commercial Fabrication Facilities.
“We are excited about collaborating with a leading and highly experienced partner in Capital Constellation,” said Chip Schorr, Managing Partner of Niobrara Capital. “Working with the Wafra team will allow us to accelerate the growth of our business, while continuing to deliver innovative approaches to investing that drive best in class performance and long-term value for our portfolio companies.”
“Capital Constellation is committed to supporting visionary investment firms that deliver exceptional results for asset owners,” said Adel Alderbas, Chief Investment Officer at Wafra and President of Capital Constellation. “Under the guidance and expertise of Chip, Todd and Mike, Niobrara is well positioned to become the next leader in private equity technology investing.”
“Niobrara Capital’s disciplined approach to identifying and nurturing mid-sized, technology-focused businesses reflects a deep understanding of where innovation meets opportunity,” said Lauren Rich, Managing Director at Wafra. “We are excited to support their vision and contribute to their mission of driving transformative growth.”
About Niobrara Capital
Niobrara Capital is led by Chip Schorr, a pioneer in technology private equity investments. Niobrara invests in business-to-business oriented technology and technology-enabled services companies across the ecosystem to capitalize on transformation growth of primarily North America and European companies. The firm focuses on partnering with corporates, founders and management teams on new and innovative approaches to investing and driving value creation in its portfolio companies. www.niobraracap.com
About Wafra
Wafra is a global alternative investment manager with approximately $30 billion of assets under management across a range of alternative assets, including strategic partnerships, real estate, and real assets. By providing flexible and accretive capital solutions and focusing on long-term partnerships, Wafra aligns and partners with high quality asset owners, companies, and management teams. Headquartered in New York, Wafra has additional offices in London and Bermuda. For more information, please visit www.wafra.com.
About Capital Constellation
Advised by Wafra and founded in partnership with a select group of institutional asset owners, Capital Constellation is an innovative investment program, designed as a collaborative asset owner platform with expertise from some of the world’s premier institutional investors. Capital Constellation pursues a private equity strategy to launch and accelerate the next generation of alternative asset management firms. The platform fosters partnerships with talented investment teams that can create aligned, substantial and lasting benefits for both asset owners and alternative asset managers.
For media enquiries:
Niobrara Capital
Gagnier Communications
[email protected]
Wafra
Prosek Partners
[email protected]
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/capital-constellation-makes-strategic-investment-in-niobrara-capital-302356699.html
Fintech PR
CGTN: China’s booming ice and snow industry fuels its economic growth

BEIJING, Feb. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, exemplifies the country’s thriving ice and snow economy.
During the eight-day 2025 Spring Festival holiday from January 28 to February 4, the city has seen booming snow tourism. As an ice-themed park known for its dazzling ice sculptures, Harbin Ice-Snow World attracted over 610,000 visits. In particular, more than 100,000 visits were made on February 1, setting a new record for single-day attendance.
The increasing popularity of the park is partly attributed to the city’s upcoming role as the host of the 9th Asian Winter Games, which will be held from February 7 to 14, marking China’s second major winter sports event following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games and host a welcome banquet for foreign leaders in attendance.
Ice and snow economy enters ‘fast lane’
Xi has paid close attention to the development of China’s ice and snow sports and industries, urging efforts to consider ice and snow economy as a new growth point to promote the development of the whole industrial chain involving winter sports and culture, snow-and-ice equipment and tourism.
In recent years, as winter sports and tourism surged in popularity across China, the ice and snow economy has witnessed significant growth.
According to the General Administration of Sport of China, the number of people participating in various ice and snow sports such as skating, skiing, curling and ice hockey nationwide reached 57.35 million in the 2023-2024 snow season. Over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide were recorded, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year.
During the last snow season, Harbin alone welcomed over 87 million visitors, marking a 300 percent year-on-year increase and generating 124.8 billion yuan (about $17.4 billion) in tourism revenue – a staggering 500 percent growth.
Meanwhile, the ice and snow consumption is becoming an important growth point to expand domestic demand, transforming the “cold” resources into “hot” engine for economic development.
According to online shopping and tourism platforms, orders for ice and snow equipment surged, while searches and bookings for ice and snow tours saw rapid growth during the “Double 11” shopping festival last year.
On China’s leading e-commerce platform, Tmall, sales of categories such as down jackets, thermal wear and skiing equipment surged by over 200 percent year on year during the “Double 11” shopping festival.
Broad prospects
To harness its abundant ice and snow resources for economic development, China is intensifying efforts to expand its winter economy, encompassing sports, culture, equipment, and tourism.
According to the guidelines issued by the General Office of the State Council, the country aims to promote its ice and snow economy as a new growth point, with the goal of reaching an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan (about $169 billion) by 2027, and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030.
To achieve these goals, various cities and regions are integrating winter sports and tourism into their development plans.
The Heilongjiang Province is promoting the establishment of a China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization winter sports demonstration zone, expediting the development of ice-and-snow equipment and digital industry parks.
In Beijing, the city has launched an action plan, proposing 24 specific measures in areas such as expanding the ice and snow sports and consumption, and advancing the construction of ice and snow venue facilities.
The vigorous growth of the ice and snow economy has also drawn global attention. A slew of measures, including optimizing the visa-free policy and opening new international flight routes, have attracted a number of foreign tourists to start their “China Travel” and enjoy the winter season in the country.
China’s thriving ice and snow economy has also injected new momentum into the global tourism market, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday, extending a warm invitation to friends from around the world to participate in ice and snow events, fostering friendship and cooperation.
For more information, please click:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-06/China-s-booming-ice-and-snow-industry-fuels-its-economic-growth–1ALQPnOkxO0/p.html
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cgtn-chinas-booming-ice-and-snow-industry-fuels-its-economic-growth-302371001.html
Fintech PR
SM Investments Recognized for Landmark Capital Market Deal

PASAY CITY, Philippines, Feb. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — SM Investments Corporation (SM Investments), the parent company of the SM Group, has been awarded the “Philippine Capital Market Deal of the Year” by International Financing Review Asia (IFR Asia) for its successful issuance of a USD500 million five-year bond in 2024. This recognition underscores SM Investments’ leadership in the capital markets and the strong confidence of global investors in the company’s financial strength.
IFR Asia cited SM Investments’ return to the US dollar bond market after a decade-long absence as a significant development for the Philippine corporate sector. The transaction, which was the largest five-year deal by a Philippine corporate in 2024, reopened the market amid volatile conditions and achieved competitive pricing at 35 basis points.
“This landmark transaction represents a major milestone for both SM Investments and the Philippine capital markets. The strong demand from investors reflects confidence in Philippine corporate issuers and underscores SM’s reputation as a stable and well-managed investment option,” said Erwin G. Pato, Executive Vice President for Treasury, Finance, and Planning at SM Investments Corporation.
IFR Asia noted that SM Investments’ bond issuance attracted significant investor interest, given the relative scarcity of corporate issuances from the Philippines in recent years. The transaction also marked SM Investments’ first bond issuance since its USD350 million 10-year note in June 2014.
The deal was arranged by leading global financial institutions, with HSBC, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, and UBS acting as joint lead managers and joint bookrunners. BDO Capital and Chinabank Capital also participated as joint lead managers.
International Financing Review Asia is a respected source of news and analysis on capital markets and investment banking, reinforcing the credibility of this recognition.
SM Investments’ achievement highlights its commitment to financial excellence and its role in strengthening investor confidence in the Philippine market.
About SM Investments Corporation
SM Investments Corporation is one of the leading Philippine companies that is invested in market-leading businesses in retail, banking, and property. It also invests in ventures that capture high growth opportunities in the emerging Philippine economy.
SM’s retail operations are the country’s largest and most diversified, consisting of grocery stores, department stores and specialty retail stores. SM’s property arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is the largest integrated property developer in the Philippines with interests in malls, residences, offices, hotels, and convention centers as well as tourism-related property developments. SM’s interests in banking are in BDO Unibank, Inc., the country’s largest bank, and China Banking Corporation, the fourth largest private domestic bank.
For more information, please visit www.sminvestments.com
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sm-investments-recognized-for-landmark-capital-market-deal-302370993.html
Fintech PR
BRI UMKM EXPO(RT) 2025 Officially Concludes, Attracting Over 63,000 Visitors and Securing USD 90.6 Million in Export Contracts

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (IDX: BBRI) successfully concluded BRI UMKM EXPO(RT) 2025, reinforcing its commitment to empowering MSMEs and expanding their global market reach. Held from January 30 to February 2, 2025, at ICE BSD City, the event attracted over 63,000 visitors, generated IDR 38.9 billion in transactions, and secured USD 90.6 million in export contracts through business matching. The closing ceremony was led by BRI President Director Sunarso.
A Platform for Global MSME Expansion
With the theme “Broadening MSME’s Global Outreach”, the event showcased 1,000 top Indonesian MSMEs ready for the international market. The closing ceremony was attended by BRI Vice President Director Catur Budi Harto. BRI President Director Sunarso highlighted the expo’s success in raising awareness of local MSME products, exceeding its initial target of 50,000 visitors.
By February 1, 2025, transactions hit IDR 38.9 billion, exceeding expectations. Sunarso reaffirmed BRI’s commitment to MSMEs, with business matching continuing through 2025 in partnership with the Ministry of Trade, holding twice-monthly sessions to boost exports.
This year’s BRI UMKM EXPO(RT) 2025 saw the participation of 506 registered buyers from 34 countries, significantly exceeding the initial target of 94 buyers from 33 countries.
So far, 166 MSMEs have engaged in 270 business meetings, one of the standout success stories is PT Siger Jaya Abadi, which secured a USD 13.05 million export deal with Bluestar Food Corporation, USA.
BRI UMKM Awards: Honoring Top MSMEs
BRI recognized outstanding businesses in three categories:
1. Top Deals on Business Matching
For MSMEs achieving the highest potential transactions in business matching sessions:
- Bintang Kita Kemuliaan (Food & Beverage)
- Albasi Karang Layung (Home Décor & Craft)
- Gula Aren Temon (Food & Beverage)
2. Newcomers on Business Matching
For first-time exporters who successfully secured international buyers:
- Rumah Atsiri Indonesia (Healthcare & Wellness)
- Minyak Sacha Inchi (Food & Beverage)
- Organic Center (Food & Beverage)
3. Best Expo
For MSMEs demonstrating outstanding export readiness and digital adoption:
- Sila Agri Inovasi (Food & Beverage)
- Pelita Lumpang Mas (Food & Beverage)
- Restu Mande (Food & Beverage)
These awards highlight BRI’s commitment to empowering MSMEs globally while advancing financial literacy and inclusion.
For more details on BRI UMKM EXPO(RT) 2025, visit briumkmexport.com.
For more information about BANK BRI, visit www.bri.co.id.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bri-umkm-export-2025-officially-concludes-attracting-over-63-000-visitors-and-securing-usd-90-6-million-in-export-contracts-302370823.html
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